Your apartment
There are many no- or low-cost things you can do to conserve energy and water.
Here are a few ideas:
Low Cost
- Install a low-flow showerhead and faucet aerators (an indoor water efficiency kit is available at local environment days http://www.toronto.ca/environment_days/activities.htm)
- Caulk around leaky windows and install plastic film over windows
- Compost with worms
- Install compact fluorescent light bulbs
No-Cost
- Take shorter showers
- Wash clothes in cold water and dry on racks (if you have a common laundry area, you can put up signs encouraging cold water use)
- For a list of energy-saving tips for tenants, go to http://www.ontariotenants.ca/apartment_living/electricity-savings.phtml
Your building
Interested in improving the energy efficiency of your building? Talk to your building manager or condo or co-op board, and check out these City of Toronto programs that can help your building improve its energy performance:
- TowerWise Program http://www.toronto.ca/taf/towerwise.htm - This program offers loans to new and existing buildings that wish to become more energy efficient. Loans are paid back using the utility cost savings that result from a better-built building.
- Better Buildings Partnership http://bbptoronto.ca/ - This program promotes and implements energy efficiency and building-renewal retrofits in industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential buildings
- If you have questions about recycling in apartments go to http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/multi/index.htm
This fact sheet was produced by Green Neighbours 21 – April 2010